Lower Mesh Grill Replacement

[kimi_fan]

So I got my black mesh grills just today...replacing the aluminum from the sport package with matte black to match the black performance kidney grills. Needless to say, I searched the forums and have only found a mention about replacing the lower grill in the X6 forum. The top smaller one simply snaps right in and out, the bottom, even looking at the new one, seems a little more complicated to replace.

in case anyone is looking for the part numbers you can find them here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...06&hg=51&fg=15

Numbers 2 and 3 under the Trim Decor Elements (there are 2 for each, one in black and the other in aluminum)

I wanted to confirm, or get any guidance, from someone who has replaced the lower grill on an X5 before I start taking parts off the car. I have a 35i with a January 2011 build date.

Thanks!

[kimi_fan]

Anyone? I'm about to attempt this tomorrow since I have the day off before the long weekend.

[c-dubmobile]

found a thread on another forum
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...all-black.html

[pmeloche]

It's grille not grill.

[kimi_fan]

Ha ha, must be a Canadian spelling.

Replaced them today, wasn't that bad. I'll post some pics and comments when I get a chance.

[ZuerstBMW]

Originally Posted by kimi_fan

Ha ha, must be a Canadian spelling.

Replaced them today, wasn't that bad. I'll post some pics and comments when I get a chance.

Actually, In the United States, "grille" is used to differentiate the automotive part from the cooking device, called a "grill".

Yes, please post pics.

[kimi_fan]

The following describes what you'll need to do to replace the front grills (or grilles) on an E70 35i. For me this was all about replacing the grilles from the aluminum finish to the matte black finish to match the blacked out BMW performance kidney grille. Thanks to the Jason at Tischer for sending me the correct part numbers...and the quick shipping once the part came in...my only advice is to make sure you're getting the right part as cars with Active cruise may use a different part. Replacement actually isn't as difficult as I thought it may be and only took a total of 1.5 hours...you could probably do this faster but I was being careful not to break anything. First, the small top grille simply snaps on and off and could be swapped out in about a minute. The bottom one however requires that you remove the front bumper cover because of the way it snaps in and the fact that you have some support bars in your way that do not allow you to swap these out without removal of the bumper.

Tools you'll need: 8mm socket, flat head screwdriver for prying if necessary, and a phillips screw driver. It is also helpful to have a friend or someone to help hold one side of the bumper as you remove the other side. A box or other support would also work.

Here you go:

1. Remove the 4 screws (phillips, quarter turn screws) under the front aluminum colored skid plate.

2. Remove the 2 screws on the left and 2 on the right under the car that hold the bottom of the bumper to the trim (8mm small screws).

3. Remove the 5 screws along the top of the bumper, just above the small grille in the front of the car (8mm screws with the large heads).

4. Remove the 3 screws on the left and 3 on the right in the wheel well that secure the bumper to the fender flares in the front.

5. At this point you should have removed a total on 19 screws (4 aluminum colored phillips, 5 8mm screws with the big head, 6 8mm screws from the wheel wells, and 4 small 8mm screws from under the bumper.

6. The next part for removal is all about patience as it requires unsnapping a few things. The front fender flares are snapped into the front bumper using tabs...this was actually the hardest one for me to remove. Unsnap the flares from the bumper on both sides.

7. The bumper is free now, other that the tabs at the tops of the bumper on the left and right that are holding it in. My technique was to rock the bumper off, holding the top and bottom of the bumper, on one side. Once one side is free (I started with the driver's side) you'll need to disconnect the wiring harness that powers the fog light. This is where your friend, or a box, needs to hold one side up while you work on the other. I removed the passenger's side using the same technique...keep in mind you'll have both the fog light and PDC wiring connection on that side that needs to be disconnected.

Your bumper should now be free and you can unsnap the old grille and replace with your new one. As a side note, if you plan on replacing the grilles on the left and right (the one's with the aluminum horizontal fins) with the open one's like the 50i has now would be a good time since they appear to be easily removed only after you have the bumper off. I'm not sure if that's a good idea just yet, since in the 35i there is nothing behind them and it looks like there is a limited amount of space for air to escape...which i can only imagine would assist in lower my gas mileage.

Replacement is just the opposite of removal. My only tips are to take your time, make sure everything is back together correctly (the fender flares have a piece that gets tucked in, which is nearly impossible to do while snapping the bumper in from the front by yourself...have a friend help with this as well), and make sure you reconnect PDC and the fog lights before you put it back. I also checked the lights and PDC before screwing everything back together just to make sure I reconnected everything.

Hope that helps!

[alextclam]

Hi,

I just ordered the black performance kidney grilles from my dealer today and was wondering how easy or hard was it to swap out? Thanks.

[kimi_fan]

The kidney grilles snap in and out very easily. There are only tabs holding them in. Pop the hood and you'll see what I'm taking about.

[alextclam]

Ok thanks, waiting for them to arrive.

[c-dubmobile]

Originally Posted by kimi_fan

The following describes what you'll need to do to replace the front grills (or grilles) on an E70 35i. For me this was all about replacing the grilles from the aluminum finish to the matte black finish to match the blacked out BMW performance kidney grille. Thanks to the Jason at Tischer for sending me the correct part numbers...and the quick shipping once the part came in...my only advice is to make sure you're getting the right part as cars with Active cruise may use a different part. Replacement actually isn't as difficult as I thought it may be and only took a total of 1.5 hours...you could probably do this faster but I was being careful not to break anything. First, the small top grille simply snaps on and off and could be swapped out in about a minute. The bottom one however requires that you remove the front bumper cover because of the way it snaps in and the fact that you have some support bars in your way that do not allow you to swap these out without removal of the bumper.

Tools you'll need: 8mm socket, flat head screwdriver for prying if necessary, and a phillips screw driver. It is also helpful to have a friend or someone to help hold one side of the bumper as you remove the other side. A box or other support would also work.

Here you go:

1. Remove the 4 screws (phillips, quarter turn screws) under the front aluminum colored skid plate.

2. Remove the 2 screws on the left and 2 on the right under the car that hold the bottom of the bumper to the trim (8mm small screws).

3. Remove the 5 screws along the top of the bumper, just above the small grille in the front of the car (8mm screws with the large heads).

4. Remove the 3 screws on the left and 3 on the right in the wheel well that secure the bumper to the fender flares in the front.

5. At this point you should have removed a total on 19 screws (4 aluminum colored phillips, 5 8mm screws with the big head, 6 8mm screws from the wheel wells, and 4 small 8mm screws from under the bumper.

6. The next part for removal is all about patience as it requires unsnapping a few things. The front fender flares are snapped into the front bumper using tabs...this was actually the hardest one for me to remove. Unsnap the flares from the bumper on both sides.

7. The bumper is free now, other that the tabs at the tops of the bumper on the left and right that are holding it in. My technique was to rock the bumper off, holding the top and bottom of the bumper, on one side. Once one side is free (I started with the driver's side) you'll need to disconnect the wiring harness that powers the fog light. This is where your friend, or a box, needs to hold one side up while you work on the other. I removed the passenger's side using the same technique...keep in mind you'll have both the fog light and PDC wiring connection on that side that needs to be disconnected.

Your bumper should now be free and you can unsnap the old grille and replace with your new one. As a side note, if you plan on replacing the grilles on the left and right (the one's with the aluminum horizontal fins) with the open one's like the 50i has now would be a good time since they appear to be easily removed only after you have the bumper off. I'm not sure if that's a good idea just yet, since in the 35i there is nothing behind them and it looks like there is a limited amount of space for air to escape...which i can only imagine would assist in lower my gas mileage.

Replacement is just the opposite of removal. My only tips are to take your time, make sure everything is back together correctly (the fender flares have a piece that gets tucked in, which is nearly impossible to do while snapping the bumper in from the front by yourself...have a friend help with this as well), and make sure you reconnect PDC and the fog lights before you put it back. I also checked the lights and PDC before screwing everything back together just to make sure I reconnected everything.

Hope that helps!

Super detailed instructions! I'm gonna try to replace my black ones w/ the silver ones soon!

[sammybmwfan]

Hi there, I was wondering: should i replace the mesh as well? I think i have hit some brush or whatever. Since then i have this irritating noise, which I am not quite able to locate, but it sounds plasticlike.. Thanks for your help.

[kimi_fan]

Up to you. I replaced mine for cosmetic reasons, but if you think something is loose you could always pull off the front bumper and check.

[mreuterusa]

Could you post this in the DIY section? I was looking and searching for hours to find how to remove the bumper on the E70!
Thank you!

[kimi_fan]

There's a DIY section? Where? If there is I posted this last year some time when I swapped the grilles.

[M3LLO]

Nice write up! Just did this today on my '11 E70 X5 50i. Installed the gloss black kidney grilles and swapped the silver mesh for the black mesh. Took me about an hour total and it looks great!

[tommyboyLondon]

And I did it without removing the bumper.

The only thing I did was unscrewing the screws at the bottom so that
I could pull the bumper slightly away and push the grille inside.
Once you unsnap all the hooks slightly bend it and pull it out through the grille hole.

Do the reverse with the new one, snap it in and screw the bumper back on.

[petelebel]

Hello. I have a similar x5. My problem however is that the bumper cover is separating from the fender on the right side. I looks like there is a lever joining the fender flare to the bumper cover. You refer to the "unsnapping" of the fender flare from the bumper on your item #6. How do you do this exactly? Please feel free to post any other picture you may have. What you have posted to date is very helpful. As there does not seem to be any instructions for the E70 LCI, I am trying to gather as much information as possible before I try to repair this small gap. I pulled the fender liner and I saw the tabs you mentioned, but the connection of the pieces right at the edge of the wheel well has me scratching my head. Thanks for your help.

Pete

[kimi_fan]

I don't have any other pictures that I didn't post, and apologies as I did this quite a while ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy. One thing I do remember is that the flares are snapped in to the bumper (you can see the tabs in the pics I posted of the flare), and you'll need to remove the bottom 2 screws for each flare on each side of the car. There are also other rivet-like fasteners above the 2 screws that hold the flares to the bunper and then the quarter panel. I was able to unsnap the flare without having to remove the rivets, however if you remove the rivets I believe you'll need to replace those as they are not re-usable.

Sorry, I know that's much help.

[petelebel]

Thanks for the response. I see there is a track which grabs the edge of the bumper cover. I suspect my bumper cover just freed itself from the track. I'll pick up some rivets at the dealer in the next few days and get to work removing at least 1/2 of the bumper cover in order to reinstall. Thanks again. Your pictures have been most helpful.

Pete

[x5joe2013]

Originally Posted by tommyboyLondon

And I did it without removing the bumper.

The only thing I did was unscrewing the screws at the bottom so that
I could pull the bumper slightly away and push the grille inside.
Once you unsnap all the hooks slightly bend it and pull it out through the grille hole.

Do the reverse with the new one, snap it in and screw the bumper back on.

Thanks for the tip on being able to do this without removing the bumper. I did it today in about 30 min.

It does take some patience and quite a bit of hand strength, but it worked it way out.